County releases 2017 opioid statistics

The DuPage County Coroner’s Office has completed all suspected opioid related deaths from 2017. The numbers are startling and show that there continues to be a serious problem of addiction and death related to legal and illegal opioids.

The trend towards the mixture of the opioid fentanyl into the heroin and the emergence of fentanyl analogues in the Chicagoland area continues as a serious problem. These fentanyl analogues are very strong and we have identified another death due to carfentanyl, which is 10,000 stronger than morphine.

These numbers do not reflect the lives who have been saved by police, fire and medical personnel using the opioid antidote naloxone. If this life saving drug had not been widely used, the number of deaths would be much higher.

2015

(# of deaths)

36 = Heroin alone

7 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture

8 = Fentanyl alone

Total deaths = 51

2016

36 = Heroin alone

26 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture

16 = Fentanyl alone

17 = Prescription medications

Total deaths (illegal Drugs) = 78

Total deaths (all opioids) = 95

2017

23 = Heroin alone

32 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture

17 = Fentanyl alone

23 = Prescription medications

Total deaths (illegal drugs) = 72

Total deaths (all opioids) = 95

These numbers reveal that our work is not done in the quest to eradicate this epidemic. We must continue to bring education to our citizens about this problem to prevent the use of opioids, treat those who are addicted and eradicate the supply of illegal drugs.